Fort Collins animal rescue takes on Grenada's homeless dog population

Apr. 4, 2013

Sammy, a partially paralyzed homeless puppy, chews on her leash at a shelter in Granda. Sammy is the first dog to come to the Fort Collins Animal Rescue through The Pothound Project, which seeks to medically care for and adopt out homeless dogs. / Courtesy photo

Editor’s note

Ashley Dinger, executive director of All Aboard Animal Rescue, holds Sammy, a partially paralyzed 16-week-old homeless dog from Grenada who is coming to the Fort Collins Animal Rescue through The Pothound Project. The project seeks to care for and adopt out homeless dogs, or 'pothounds,' from Grenada to the U.S. Sammy is the first dog to come to Colorado and will be featured in a Coloradoan series on the project. / Courtesy photo

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A partially paralyzed 16-week-old homeless dog, or “pothound,” from Grenada hopped on a plane to Colorado and took her first steps to a better life Thursday.

Sammy is the first of several homeless dogs to come to Fort Collins’ All Aboard Animal Rescue for medical treatment and a new home. The Pothound Project, started by veterinary student Eryn Del Monte, hopes to adopt out a growing population of stray dogs from the island country just off the coast of Venezuela.

Del Monte, 25, attends veterinary school at St. George’s University in Grenada seven months out of the year and spends the remainder of her time in Fort Collins helping All Aboard. The university has multiple student-based projects to help stray dogs, but The Pothound Project is one of the first to take animals out of the country.

“The most important thing to us is giving the dogs a better future,” she said. “Whether in Grenada or Colorado, the point of all of this is to find them a forever home.”

All Aboard Animal Rescue will help facilitate the treatment and transfer of the dogs, many of which suffer from mange and other diseases due to life on the streets. Some, like Sammy, are disabled. All dogs accepted into the Fort Collins program must pass vigorous health evaluations and be treated in Grenada for infectious diseases before coming here.

Sharon Sage, president of the Grenada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter, offers a low-cost clinic to provide some treatment to animals. But with a huge need and little money to help the animals, dogs like Sammy are “often secondary” in the poor country.

She was the first to treat and foster Sammy, who was brought into the shelter off Grenada’s streets about two months ago with paralyzed back legs and incontinence. The puppy’s vibrant spirit convinced the veterinarian to give her a second chance at life and finding a forever home. It’s unclear how Sammy became paralyzed, other than some form of trauma.

Del Monte said many pothounds are hit by cars and buses while running around the island. Dog versus car collisions are one of the most common emergencies seen at the St. George University Small Animal Clinic, she added.

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“Sammy was full of life and very, very sweet, so we decided to give her that chance,” Sage said. “When we heard that The Pothound Project would take dogs with disabilities, she immediately came to mind. Finding a permanent home for a disabled dog is very difficult in Grenada.”

Up until her plane ride to Colorado Thursday, Sammy received some treatment and therapy through foster homes, receiving acupuncture and swimming in the sea for water therapy to regain some movement in her back legs.

The puppy, already beloved by All Aboard staff, was scheduled to arrive in Fort Collins Thursday night. Next week, she’ll have her first of likely many veterinary visits in Fort Collins to see what can be done to improve her leg function and other health issues. If function cannot be restored, Sammy will be fitted for a “new set of wheels” to help her get around.

Next steps will include finding a foster home to help the puppy.

“(We want Sammy) to run around like a puppy should,” said Ashley Dinger, executive director of All Aboard. “We believe that any animal deserves the right and opportunity to succeed, grow and start anew.”

Sarah Jane Kyle is the Coloradoan reporter covering volunteerism, nonprofits and philanthropy. Follow her on Twitter @sarahjanekyle or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/reportersarahjane.